In the middle of the fourth inning on Tuesday evening South Greene softball coach Amy Hawk told her team that they needed to play with a little more joy, and from that point their bats got happy as the Lady Rebels pulled away to a 13-7 win over West Greene.
“It just felt like nobody was having a good time and we weren’t playing with a lot of energy. We needed something to change and the girls responded,” Hawk said. “I don’t remember who got it going, but it seemed like we started putting some hits together and that was good to see. But West Greene is a good team, and even when we started to pull away, they were never out of it.”
Over the final four innings South Greene scored 10 runs on eight hits while putting 15 runners on the base path.
“We had different people step up and different people get on base. There are still a couple spots in the lineup that I’d like to see more production from, but a couple of big innings were really nice,” Hawk said.
South Greene went to the bottom of the fourth frame with the score knotted at 3-3, but it wasted little time taking control of the game. The Lady Rebels loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter. Whitney Reaves entered the batters’ box next and quickly fired a shot down the third-base line. The ball bounced off the bag and rolled to the corner to score all three runners for a bases-clearing double.
Another walk put Kortnei Bailey on first base and then Paisley Brobeck scored both runners with a hard ground ball through the right side for an 8-3 South Greene lead.
West Greene got one of those runs back in the fifth inning. Morgan Brown led off the side with a groundball through the left side and she scored on a ground out by Kaylee Willett.
The Lady Rebels scored four more runs in the fifth inning. Reagan Arrowood led off the side with a single past the second baseman. Chloe Saulsbury then flew a pinch-hit double into the gap to plate South Greene’s next run. Madison Hensley followed by sending a fly ball to the right-field corner for a triple.
Reaves and Bailey came up with a pair of singles to the left side that stretched the lead 12-4.
Reaves led South Greene’s bats on Tuesday by going 3-for-4 with two doubles while driving in five runs. Brobeck went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Bailey was 2-for-3 and scored two runs. Hensley had a triple and scored three runs.
“Whitney was really hitting the ball today and came through when we needed her to,” Hawk said. “She had a couple of big hits and led us in RBIs.”
West Greene tried to make a comeback in the sixth frame and plated three runs. Alexis Cutshall knocked the first one in on a line drive to right field. South Greene was able stop another run and get Cutshall out at second with a relay from the grass to the plate and then to second base.
Addison Peters scored when Aubree Everett hit a groundball to the right side. Neveah Davis stopped it in the gap, but she could not make the play at first. Brown then rocketed a double into right field that closed the gap to 12-7.
In the bottom of the sixth inning South Greene’s Hailey Williamson sent a line drive past the second baseman. She stole second and scored on a wild pitch.
The game was delayed for approximately 40 minutes in the sixth inning when a West Greene student had a medical emergency in the dugout and paramedics had to be called.
The day started with South Greene jumping in front 2-0 in the first inning. Hensley was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Reaves scored her by firing a double into left field. Reaves scored when Brobeck sent a line drive to right field.
West Greene scored its first run in the second inning. Abby Cluesman walked and went to third on a pair of wild pitches. She then stole home when the Lady Rebels tried to pick her off at third.
The Lady Buffs took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third inning. Hayley Arnold put two runners in scoring position with a ground-rule double. Willett pushed across both runs by skipping a groundball through the right side.
South Greene evened the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the third. Bailey led off with a single and Brobeck pushed her across on a groundout.
For West Greene Brown went 3-for-3 with a double. Arnold was 2-for-4 with a double, and Willett drove in three runs.
In the circle Bailey earned the win for South Greene. In six innings she struck out seven, walked three and allowed seven hits. Rachel Johnston threw the first inning with one strikeout, one walk, and two hits allowed.
Cluesman took the loss. In 3 1/3 innings she struck out five, walked four and allowed five hits. Brown threw 2 2/3 innings in relief with one strikeout, no walks and six hits allowed.
